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Whispering Pines LbNA #41583 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:CroWoman
Plant date:Jun 29, 2008
Location:
City:Oakland
County:Douglas
State:Illinois
Boxes:1
Found by: Stillus03
Last found:Apr 16, 2009
Status:FFFFFFFrr
Last edited:Jun 29, 2008
BOX MISSING AND RETIRED 6/20/2015

Walnut Point State Park near Oakland IL is a 671 acre recreation area that offers camping, hiking, horseshoes, picnicking, playground equipment, and cross country skiing. The 52 acre Walnut Point Lake offers boating with electric trolling motors and fishing for largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, green sunfish and channel catfish.

I love a deep pine forest….it is devoid of canopies and underbrush because of the tannin in the needles of the pine tree and the absolute shade. A deep pine forest will only allow a minute amount of plants to grow under the trees. I always like to sit by one of the pine trees and use all my senses to just BE one with the forest. In the case of the Whispering Pine trail, the hardwoods have taken over and there are only a few pines and a lot of poison ivy, but close to the Pleasant View pavilion is a sampling of a pine forest.

Park in the Concession Stand parking lot. Across from the concession stand are rows of a planted pine trees. Find the rows of pine trees and go to the first pine tree in the row closest to the lake. Moving toward the pavilion, count the pine trees. At pine tree #11, turn left and look toward the lake. You will see a tree standing at the nearest right hand corner of the sidewalk extending from the horseshoe pit. Walk approximately 46 steps (I am only 5 foot 2 inches so my steps are short) to that tree. Turn right and walk 6 steps to the next tree. Turn left and walk 5 steps to the next tree. You will find the Whispering Pines letterbox at the base of that tree hidden behind some bark I placed there. The bark is pushed into the soil to hold it there, so you will need to pull up on it. If you do break it off, find another piece of bark to cover the “small cylinder” letterbox. Please place items back in order as found. This is a public place, so please be discreet in locating and replanting the letterbox. Afterwards go for a hike on the Whispering Pines trail across the road from the Pleasant View Pavilion parking lot. I saw three deer and two fawns with their spots still showing while on the Whispering Pines trail, so keep your eyes open.

This is my first plant, so if you have any suggestions, please email me. Bring your own pen and stamp pad. There is a extreme amount of poison ivy in the park and of course mosquitoes, so bring gloves and insect repellent just in case.